Central Michigan University Athletics
Alumni Weekend a Success for Soccer
3/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
March 2, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University women's soccer alumni converged on Mount Pleasant last weekend as the program held it first annual Alumni Reunion.
"I feel it is important to have strong relationships with our former players, and this is the first step in doing that," said head coach Tony DiTucci. "For a program that is only seven years old, I was very proud that we had 16 out of our 24 alumni who chose to take time out of their busy schedule to participate.
"Our graduates worked hard during their years here to establish the foundation of our program and leave a legacy for the players we have today. There is a strong sense of connection and camaraderie among our alumni, and it was great to have our current players see that and interact with all of them."
The reunion began with a dinner outing Saturday night and culminated with a game pitting the alumni against current players on Sunday morning. In the game, the current Chippewas came out as 4-2 winners over the alumni.
The weekend gave former players an opportunity to return to CMU, some for the first time since graduation.
"It has been a great experience returning to CMU and seeing a lot of my former teammates," said Allison Campbell, CMU's all-time career scoring leader. "This is one of the first times I have been back since graduation, so I had never really met any of the current players or coaches. Coach DiTucci and his staff have done a great job reaching out to all the alumni and making them feel welcome."
Current players also enjoyed being able to meet the people who built the foundation for the program.
"We have never really had any contact with the alumni in the past, so this weekend was a great experience for us," senior team captain Michelle Noble said. "They helped to build this program into what it is today, so it was an honor to meet them and play against them. This is a great new tradition for our program, since I think our current team really learned a lot from the alumni and watching everyone interact."
Recent graduate Cari VanDyck enjoyed playing against her former teammates, and appreciated how the coaching staff reached out to her after her playing days were over.
"It was a lot of fun going against my former teammates," the 2003 graduate said. "So much of my life has been devoted to soccer that when it ended, I really missed it. Coach DiTucci and this staff have been awesome in allowing us to stay connected with the soccer program, and they have always made me feel welcome. They have created a great family atmosphere that is definitely fun to come back to."
As for the game, CMU junior Jacquie Lacek dominated the contest by scoring three of her team's four goals, but for her the game was more about honoring the past players and learning from them.
"Learning and talking to the former players was a great experience because they have been through what we are currently going through right now, and they have some great advice," Lacek said. "It was a fun game that was really competitive and a great experience. Going against players I only really knew from the record books was great because we are trying to fill their shoes and make them proud. It was a great weekend and hopefully it is a tradition that lasts a long time."
